


Final Fantasy XV: The Strange Journey

by Thus_Spoke_She



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Multi, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-05-13 06:27:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14743677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thus_Spoke_She/pseuds/Thus_Spoke_She
Summary: In a time unknown, only a prophecy keeps hope alive in people’s hearts: “When darkness veils the world, the King of Light shall come.” Now, five brave warriors begin their journey, prepared to fight. What awaits the five at the end?





	1. Prologue: Before the Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thank you for checking out my fic! This is a rather self indulgent fic I have been working out in my head (and on paper) for the better part of a year or so. I’m really wanting to do this fic (alongside the other one) justice as I feel my writing style hasn’t changed much. I hope everyone enjoys this story and I would love to hear from you~

**Before the Fall...**

_He wipes sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve as a grunt of exertion escapes his lips. The intense and sweltering heat from the daemon before him was unending. Maybe wearing the royal raiment during this faithful night was a bad idea, Noctis Lucis Caelum thought to himself. Deep, almost dark blue eyes glare towards the changed and disgraced Astral, Ifrit, as he sits upon a throne of bones surrounded by flames. A bored expression lines the face of the being even as he is attacked by four other humans. Ifrit needed to be moved if they were going to bring an end to the everlasting darkness._

_So Noctis charges forward, sword drawn from the veil of the Armiger in a flash of white light. A pillar of red hot fire bursts from the air before Ifrit and crashes into the dark-haired man, launching him into the air. Noctis briefly hears someone—a woman’s voice—call out before he lands hard on the ground. He panics and quickly rolls to put the small licks of flame on his sleeves as a blond man with freckles makes his way over, patting him down with his hands._

_“Hang in there, buddy,” the blond man, Prompto Argentum, says assuredly to Noctis once the flames are out. Holding out his hand, a silver revolver materializes in Prompto’s grasp. He tells the dark-haired man to stay down while they keep the fiery Astral busy before rushing off and firing several shots at said mythic being, rejoining the fray. Noctis pushes himself up from the pavement as another voice—a man—calls out to him._

_Focusing his eyes forward, he catches sight of a man who kneels behind a raised wall near the throne of Ifrit—Ignis Scientia. “Over here!”_

_If his everything wasn’t in pain and searing from heat, Noctis would be moving much faster than he was. Sprinting over as fast as his legs could carry him but instead he manages to limp towards his retainer. “Quickly, before he strikes again,” Ignis calls out in warning. As if on cue, bright light begins to form in front of Ifrit once more. The dark-haired man nears closer only to be hugged—tackled, really—from behind by a much larger man and pushed down into the cover of the raised wall next to Ignis. The larger man is Gladiolus Amicitia as they are joined seconds later by Prompto and a woman—Tatiana Telfair._

_“Here it comes!” the freckled blond yells out._

_The five duck their heads down and huddle close together as a deafening roar cuts through the air, followed by a blast of flames that slams into their protected cover. Once the flames pass over them, Prompto and Gladiolus quickly move away from the huddle—the freckled blond man draws his revolver while the larger man summons a great sword and shield to his hands. “Got your back,” Prompto says before running around to the side of the Astral’s throne; Gladiolus running to the other side. Ignis pushes up his tinted glasses as he stands with Noctis and Tatiana who helps the dark-haired man to his feet._

_Handing a palm sized blue/black vial to Noctis, the other man says a quick “here you go” and subsequently summons a pair of daggers to his hands and leaping over the raised wall. The dark-haired man breaks the vial before his eyes hand on the woman next to him. Tatiana flashes her teeth in a short grin, patting his shoulder once and walks past him with a lance in one hand and conjures another to her other hand._

_Feeling his wounds fade to a near non-existent ache, Noctis calls forth his sword once more before following alongside Tatiana._

_“Let’s go!” the heir to the throne of Lucis cries out as he joins his friends on the attack against the fiery Astral blocking their path._

**This is what your paths will lead you towards. What is and what will be, so shall the prophecy come to pass. This will be your future…**

\----  
**Author’s Notes** : If this is all over the place, I deeply apologize! This fic will follow the game to a T (sans sidequests but will follow main story quests). Please leave reviews and kudos!


	2. Chapter One: Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaving home for the first--and last--time.

**Chapter One** : Departure

\---------

The morning was sunny, the skies clear with a few clouds here and there above the city of Insomnia. Today was a special day for the royal family of Lucis—a treaty signing that would hopefully end the war (and bad blood) between the kingdom and the Niflheim Empire after so many years and the engagement of the Crown Prince and the princess of Tenebrae, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the current Oracle. It was also a day that the king, Regis Lucis Caelum, had been dreading for a long time.

In the throne room of the Citadel, Regis looked down at the five young adults before him, his only son Noctis front and center. Behind him were four others--Ignis, Gladiolus, Prompto, and Tatiana-- as they stand at attention under his gaze. “The decreed hour is come,” the aged king proclaimed to them. “Set forth with my blessing, Prince Noctis.” The dark-haired man stiffened ever so slightly before bowing to his father.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Noctis answered as he kept his head down.

“Take your leave and go in the grace of the gods.”

Lifting his head and straightening back up, the dark-haired man said a quick “right” before turning to step past Gladiolus and Ignis and walk down the small flight of stairs. The four all shared looks of bewilderment as they quickly bowed to the king and followed after Noctis. Behind them, an expression of carefulness crossed Regis’s elderly face. Was this the correct choice?  
\----------

“Well, princes will be princes,” a nervous Prompto said once they were outside as he looked to the others. Ignis rolled his shoulders, the dark blond man answering him soon after, “So much for royal protocol.” The five walked down one set of the two flights of stairs lined with dark red carpet to a waiting car down below.

Gladio spoke up in turn, looking at Noctis who had glanced up at the gate leading out of the Citadel and rubbed his own shoulder. “Not like you had to deliver a formal address.”

“At least it wasn’t _too_ awkward,” Tatiana said in agreement with the larger of the four men. The dark-haired man turned his head to the woman, a look of annoyance on his soft face. She shrugged at him. “Don’t give me that sour look, dude.”

“Your Highness!” a male voice called out behind the five. Noctis stopped, lifting his gaze to look up the stairs to see his father making his way down, despite the intricate gold brace around his right knee and walking cane. Two others—a dark-skinned woman dressed in a white cloak over a black bodysuit and another man dressed similarly (black cloak and a red vest over a black bodysuit)--assist Regis down the stairs; the woman obviously having a worried expression. A sigh left the prince’s mouth as he asked “what now” before walking up the stairs to meet his father halfway.

“I fear I have left too much unsaid,” the king said once he looked to Noctis, holding up a hand to stop him once he was close enough. “You place a great burden on those who would bear with you.” The dark-haired man scoffed lightly. “You’re one to talk.” He let a small smile cross his face as a brief if not bothered look gathered onto Regis’s face. The elderly king looked to the four standing a few steps away before addressing them.

“I ask not that you guide my wayward son,” he stole a glance to Noctis for a moment, “merely that you remain at his side.” His tone of voice spoke volumes. He wasn’t speaking to them as a king ordering that his only son—the crown prince—to be protected but as a father obviously concerned for his son’s safety. The four came to a silent agreement.

“Indeed, Your Grace,” Ignis said as he bowed deeply.

Gladio straightened up, briefly nodding. “We’ll see the prince to Altissia if it’s the last thing we see.”

Prompto piped up soon after: “Yeah, what he said!” Next to the freckled blond, Tatiana tapped her closed hand against her chest (right above her heart) as a wide, toothy grin enveloped her face. “You can count on us!” Behind the king, the woman cracked a smile at the brown-haired girl only to have it drop once she looked up at her.

“Hate to break this up, but Cor’s got the motor running,” the dark-haired prince said and turned to walk back down the stairs as he raised a hand to the two others behind his father. “Drautos, Deidre, he’s in your hands.”

Regis tapped his cane against the marble of the stairs, speaking up: “And another thing.” The prince halted his steps to face his father. “Do mind your manners around your charming bride-to-be,” the king said. Noctis stepped up to Regis and bowed rather low and deliberately extra.

“Your Majesty, as well,” he said with the hint of a smirk in his voice. “Try to mind yours around our esteemed guests from Niflheim.”

The king watched his son lift his head, the evident smirk on his features. This didn’t relax the older man any. “You have no cause for concern.”

“Nor do you.”

“I need only know that you are ready to leave home behind,” Regis stated to Noctis who didn’t notice the underlying concern in his voice. Shrugging his shoulders not bothered, the prince let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t know about you, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” The dark-haired man turned to leave once more. His traveling companions had already made their way to the car below.

“Take care on the long road.” Noctis stopped again, turning to look at his father who had moved closer to continue speaking. “Wheresoever you should go, the line of Lucis goes with you.” The dark-haired prince felt a twinge of nervousness grip his heart. He looked up at Regis as the latter placed a hand on his son’s right shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“Wall tall, my son.”  
\----  
 **Author’s Notes** : I apologize again. Right as I finished the chapter draft, I realized I could have changed a few things. Which is what I did (there were a few odd sounding paragraphs). Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments and reviews are loved~!


	3. Broken Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All fun and games until your ride breaks down.

**Note** : Finally updated! Enjoy and kudos and comments are appreciated!

* * * * * *

_**Chapter Two: Broken Down** _

 

“And by the will of the Six, we unlucky five were hit by bad luck: our ride has broke down, _**in this ungodly heat!**_ ”  
  


It was ungodly warm as Tatiana held up her arms up to the clear skies above. Their main means of transportation, beautiful and comfy as it was, had slowed to a stop and refused to start. A break was taken as they had pushed the vehicle---they being Gladiolus, Prompto, Noctis, and Tatiana) and with the heat, one of them would have surely passed out or complained about the heat. The irony of it all was how close they were to their first pit stop. The brown-haired woman looked towards the sound of an incoming car. Gladio was standing by the driver’s side (where Ignis sat, attempting to call the local service station’s number), his amber eyes lit up at the sight of the vehicle. Finally, some help!  
  
Or so they thought.

The larger man attempted to flag the truck down only to get two (apparently) annoyed honks, driving around them and continuing on their way. A noise of shock caused Noctis to briefly lift his head—as he blinked at the shadow (Tatiana) that leapt over his extended leg. He yawned, glancing towards the woman who flipped off the departing car, huffing in obvious irritation. “I think we can forget about hitching our way there,” Gladio said, leaning against the side of the car. “Thought people were friendly outside the city.”  
  
Ignis rested his forehead against his hands that were clasped over the steering wheel, sighing before speaking up: “You can only go so far on the kindness of strangers.” Gladio shook his head and looked at Tatiana as she threw her arms up in what looked like a combination of displeasure and anger; discomfort written on her face.  
  
“Put your arms down, girl—the car’s already gone out of sight.”  
  
“I know that,” the dark-skinned girl answered, dropping her arms. “But I want them to feel my anger from afar.”  
  
The larger man shrugged as he turned to the other men (Prompto off to the side of the car in the road on his back). “Just gonna have to push her all the way.” His words were met with audible groans from the blond boy and Tatiana.

“I’ve already pushed myself… to the brink of death,” Prompto whined as he raised his arms, letting them fall back onto the ground. “I’ve been sweating for so long, I have to get a bucket,” came the brown-haired woman’s complaint. Gladio rolled his eyes before smacking the back of Noctis’s shoulder, rousing the prince (who stood up with a low groan) and walked over to the still prone blond, kicking his foot with his boot. “Oh get up.” Prompto rolled over, whining before pushing himself up. “C’mon, car isn’t gonna move itself.” The larger man had nudged the lone girl to the car, raising an eyebrow when she huffed again.

“Sheesh, I thought the car was supposed to move **us** ,” Prompto said as he moved to the passenger side of the car. Tatiana climbed into the passenger seat while the other two men took their positions—Gladio behind the car, Noctis on the driver’s side. The dark-haired prince scoffed, “Wouldn’t that be nice--”

“Can it. Ready...” The younger two groaned in unison and braced themselves. “Steady… **push!** ” With their combined strength, the car managed to move, obviously slow due to the vehicle being large and heavy. Luxury ride or not, this was embarrassing. A fact made known by the scowling face of Noctis. “Un. Believable,” he grumbled out of exertion. A breathless chuckle echoed from behind the car as the larger man looked at him, amused.  
  
“Not exactly a fairy tale beginning, huh, Prince Noctis?” Gladio teased.

Ignis shook his head as he kept his gloved hands on the steering wheel. “We let ourselves get carried away,” was his response. The dark-skinned woman nodded. “Yeah, I mean… we got _too_ excited?”

“Look, these things happen!” the freckled face man said only to squeak once Tatiana ruffled his hair. “ _Hey!_ ” He shook his head, his cheeks redder from her teasing. The brunette woman looked back towards Gladio. “Let’s just hope this isn’t some omen,” he said. She nodded in agreement. It didn’t feel like an omen to her. Noctis huffed as he blew stray strands of hair out of his face.

“Gladio, do me a favor.”

“What?” growled out the larger man.

“Push this thing by yourself,” the prince tiredly suggested. He didn’t try to hide the smirk that crept on his face as he heard Gladio’s surprised response: “ _All by myself?_ ”

“You won’t even notice if we just let go,” Prompto mused. He snickered when the larger man growled in both exertion and annoyance. “Prompto, don’t even **think** about it!” Tired of their bickering, Ignis and Tatiana sighed loudly. The bespectacled man handed her his phone. “Save some breath for pushing,” he asserted. “Try the number, dear. Perhaps we can get through this time.” The dark-skinned woman nodded briefly before dialing the gas station number. Looking at Ignis, the prince glowered at him underneath sweat-drenched bangs. “Ignis, c’mon—time to switch!”

His griping was met by a sideways glance by the driver and Gladio pointing out that the last time they switched happened to be earlier before their break. “And it’s my turn, Noct,” the freckled blond proudly proclaimed. The lone woman snorted as Ignis muttered under his breath “his turn”. Noctis grumbled again. “Okay, so answer me this: why isn’t Tatiana pushing this time?”

“I’m not pushing because I’m a lady and ladies don’t push cars in this kind of heat,” she responded, phone against her right ear and her free hand placed haughtily on her chest.

“Ha, where is such a lady? All I see is a tomboy,” Gladio teased. Dark brown eyes narrowed to slits as the girl gritted her teeth and seethed at his words. “Do you wanna get slapped, big fella?” The three men laughed breathlessly, continuing to push the vehicle all the while. Ignis patted Tatiana’s gloved hand that was balled into a tight fist. “Ignore Gladio and focus more on the phone.” With a huff, the dark-skinned girl agreed by turning to look to the side over Prompto’s spiky head. He whined again about his hands hurting. Prompto grumbled once Tatiana patted his head.

A growl from the back of the car: “You rather I kill you with mine?"

“Easy there, tough guy,” the woman called over her shoulder as she frowned at the phone. She tutted at the screen.  
  
“Any luck?” Noctis asked. Ignis shook his head, glancing at the dark-skinned woman. “Only a busy signal.” Tatiana looked at the map briefly, her eyes scanning over the paper. “Maybe the garage is busy? Or the phone might be disconnected,” she mused with a simple shrug of her shoulders. Prompto lifted his head to look around their surroundings—barren and dusty with a hint of greenery. His brow knitted in confusion. “Hold the phone---is it just me, or was it supposed to be _way_ closer?”  
  
“I assure you the map is correct,” the bespectacled man responded, his voice having a bite of vexation behind it.

“The map said Hammerhead was right there,” the dark-haired prince said as the freckled blond bobbed his head up and down in agreement. Tatiana rolled her eyes at the younger two (even if they were a year younger), a sigh escaping her.

“You two, stop complaining so much,” she said as she tapped the driver’s phone against the map—earning a look of warning from him. “It just looks like it’s right there because it’s on a map of the world. We’ll get there soon.” Once she was finished, the two men pouted but went quiet soon after; the larger man chuckling. “That a girl,” Gladio said. The woman hid her face in the map and she made a small noise of embarrassment—like a small squeak.

The five soon slipped into a somewhat comfortable silence as Gladio, Prompto, and Noctis continued their combined effort of pushing the vehicle, struggling to make their way. A light blue truck passed by them with a covered load on the back. The prince sighed lightly, watching the other vehicle pass. “The world’s a big place,” he said glancing up at the clear sky.

“Filled with wonders,” Ignis replied. The dark-skinned woman lifted her head and caught sight of a bird flying over them. Briefly, she smiled as the spiky blond complained about his legs.

Gladio groaned out a response: “You guys even pushing?”

 

“Hard as I can!” lamented Prompto. Tatiana shook her head, listening to the men gripe among themselves. Thank goodness the outpost was only a couple miles away.

 

* * * * * * 

Afterwards, the group made it to their destination--the Hammerhead outpost---exhausted from the pushing (more so the three men) and the aforementioned heat. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the car didn’t break down but it happened anyway. They also made it through to call and request service. An added bonus. Prompto sat on the ground (not caring about how warm it was) as he caught his breath. Tatiana stood against the driver’s side door, fanning herself while Noctis sat beside her in the car’s shade. ‘ _Finally, we made it_ ,’ the brown-haired girl thought to herself. She glanced towards the direction they came from—beyond the wall. She bit her bottom lip as a feeling of unease washed over her. ‘ _Man.. we’re already kinda far away._ ’ Of course one would be nervous when they leave home for the first time.

“Hey there, y’all kept a girl waitin’!” a female voiced with a southern drawl spoke up, breaking Tatiana from her thoughts. Prompto lifted his head at the voice and quickly stood up. A curly blond-haired woman dressed rather provocatively walked up to the group as she tipped her grease stained cap to them. She took note of the three men, curiosity lining her face. “Now, which one’s the prince?” Noctis stood up soon after and turned to face the woman who made a triumphant noise.

“Hello, Your Highness. Congrats on your wedding!” she said, expressing her obvious excitement.

A sheepish half-smile grew on the dark-haired man’s face. “Not hitched just yet,” he answered. The blond woman placed her gloved hands on her hips, her smile as big as her face. “Lady Lunafreya’s groom-to-be, here in Hammerhead.” Next to Noctis, the bespectacled man apologized for them being so late only to have the woman chuckle dismissively.

“You’d best save your apologies for Paw-Paw,” she said giving the vehicle a once over. Gladio raised his eyebrows at her. “Well, that makes you--” She turned to look at the larger man and grinned, pointing her thumb at herself. “Cindy. Cid’s grease monkey granddaughter.”

“Roll ‘er in while I’m still young!” an older man called out as he walked over from the garage. Looking at the car from under the brim of his Hammerhead cap, the older man—Cid--spoke again. “Didn’t yer daddy tell ya? She’s a custom classic, not some beat-up ol’ clunker.” He lifted his gaze, his features wizened by age with an even grumpier expression, landed on Noctis.

“Prince Noctis,” the old man drawled out. The dark-haired man, confused by his expression, muttered “uh yeah” in response. Cid walked around Tatiana and the prince to the front of the car, a brief scoff escaping the old man’s mouth. “ _Prince_. Like they took your old man and kicked the dignity out of him.” Everyone looked to Cid in surprise at his words. “You’ve got a long way to go, son. And that slack jaw’s gettin’ you nowhere fast.” Behind him, Noctis quickly closed his mouth, flustered. The old man inspected the front of the vehicle—affectionately named the Regalia—as he straightened up, leaning against the right side of the car. “She’s gonna take a while,” he said with a brief wave of his hand. “Y’all get her in and run along.”

He began to make his way back to the garage before looking at Tatiana in a mixture of shock and surprise. The dark-skinned girl blinked in his direction. “Uh, is everything okay?” she asked inquisitively. Cid shook his head, turning his gaze from her and pulled his cap down by the brim before continuing on his way.

‘ _Like looking into a damn mirror,_ ’ the old man mused to himself. She scowled indignantly as Gladio patted the top of her curly hair. Cindy sighed then turned to the group. “Y’all heard him! Let’s get movin’. Right this way.” The blond woman motioned for them to follow; the group pushing the Regalia into the nearby garage.

* * * * * * 

“And now we play the waiting game,” Ignis commented once the car was in the garage, walking to the gas station next door; the others following after.

“Never liked that game,” Prompto chimed in as he swung his arms back to stretch. A low chuckle from the dark-haired prince made him look towards Noctis, a smug expression on his face. “Never any good at it either.” The blond man made a displeased noise before he shoved the royal’s shoulder as the older two men laughed. “Always impatient,” Tatiana snickered. She fanned herself and noticed Prompto’s look of mock disbelief. She stuck her tongue out then mouthed a small apology. She couldn’t help but smile fondly at the four men walking ahead of her.

_It was peaceful then, besides the car issue. Things were good before that morning.. before everything changed. I wish that nothing had changed—but fate, destiny perhaps, have a way of not working out…_  
  
* * * * * *

**Note** : This ended on a weird note (to me, at least). Let me know what you guys think~!


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